Three teens are in hospital in serious condition after taking a "date rape" drug, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), on Sunday night in Abbotsford.
Const. Ian MacDonald said Abbotsford Police were called at about 6:45 p.m. by a fourth person, who apparently had not taken the drug, after the three teens began vomiting and convulsing.
The group had taken GHB about 45 minutes prior to the call, MacDonald said. They were all in Mill Lake Park at the time.
When police and BC Ambulance arrived, they found that a 19-year-old man and 15-year-old girl were unresponsive and a 17-year-old girl was semi-conscious.
The three were taken to hospital in serious condition, and MacDonald said that at points through the night, the man was in critical condition.
He said all three are expected to survive, but the extent of the damage that the drugs caused is unknown at this point.
HGB is a depressant that is sold as a white powder or as capsules. It can also be sold as a clear, colourless liquid which is odourless and tasteless, allowing it to be slipped into drinks without detection.
Its sedative effects have been used to prevent victims from resisting sexual assault, hence its reference as a "date rape" drug.
According to Health Canada, it's easy to take too much GHB because the amount that produces the desired or pleasurable effects is close to the amount that can cause an overdose.
MacDonald said police hear about its intentional use from "time to time," although it is not as common as pot or ecstasy.
He said the concern with manufactured street drugs is there's no guarantee that the product being sold is in its purest form.
"GHB and other street drugs have unknown ingredients, additives and cutting agents in them and, therefore, they can have unknown effects on your body. These effects can include serious injury or death," he said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 or text abbypd (222973).